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Alcohol & Pregnancy
FAS and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a type of neurological brain disorder that affects the baby when a mother drinks during her pregnancy. It may manifests itself as a series of physical and behavioral markers (full FAS) or just behavioral markers (Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) or a commonly used, non medical term, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders or FASD). Other terms for ARND and FASD are Foetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), partial FAS (pFAS), Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol (PEA), and Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
The Institute of Medicine has designated three main physical markers for full FAS. The first is a series of distinctive facial features such as small palprebral eye openings, a lack of a philtrum or groove beneath the nose, a thin top lip, microcephalia or a small head, exaggerated epicanthal eye folds (seen normally among Asians and some American Indians), a short snub nose with a lack of a nasal bridge, micrognathia or a small, pointy chin, large, and low, laid back ears with prominent ridges on the outside of the ear.
Other facial features are malformed or malocclused teeth, unusual amounts of hair on the face and body, strabismus or crossed eyes, myopia or shortsightedness, increased ear infections, and hearing difficulties.
Having one or two of the facial markers can be NORMAL . It is always important to consider the other two physical features (size/weight and Central Nervous System) and in particular the behavior of the individual before a child is referred to a dysmorphologist or geneticist.
Other physical features include webbed fingers, crooked little fingers, small fingernails, single creases across the palms of the hands, curvature of the back, deep dimples at the base of the spine, hands that face forward instead of toward the body, joint problems, hemangiomas (purple birth marks), heart problems, other organ problems and digestive and elimination problems.
The second physical sign of full FAS is small size or weight, usually below the 5-10 percentile before and/or after birth. Girls may gain weight during puberty but boys often stay thin.
The third physical sign of full FAS is Central Nervous System damage. This can include behavioral problems, sensory dysfunctioning, hyper/hypo activity, learning disabilities and conscience and attachment issues.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) or the more medical term Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) is most often characterized by behavioral problems. Dr. Ann Streissguth has said that the most outstanding characteristics of FAS are bad judgment and the inability to connect an action with its consequences . But FASD has been used as an umbrella term when a child has a number of behavioral issues many of which have their own designations.
What causes FAS and FASD?
Full FAS may occur when a pregnant woman drinks 2 or more drinks a day, 14 drinks on average, per week or 4 or more drinks on any one occasion (binge drinking). The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has determined that one drink a day is moderate for a woman and two drinks a day is moderate for a man.
Some researchers feel that even drinking in the months prior to conception can have a deleterious effect upon the woman's ovum and perhaps even upon the man's sperm. Therefore it is strongly advised that both the potential mother and father refraining from drinking for three months prior to conception. The mother should refrain from drinking after birth if she is nursing.
Other factors that influence the effect of alcohol upon the developing child are the mother's age, how long she has been drinking, her nutritional status, and the manner in which she drinks. The older a woman is, her body becomes less efficient in metabolizing alcohol. However, if a girl starts drinking in her early teens, she is likely to have developed a higher tolerance for alcohol and thus, places her child at a greater risk for having FAS. Women who are not eating properly and who are thin are also more likely to have child who are more vulnerable to FAS. Eating meals with drinks is considered to be better than to drink without eating. Sipping a drink over an hour's time is better than gulping down half a glass in a few minutes. Drinking a few glasses over the course of the day is considered to be less harmful than drinking the same amount in shorter time span such as the evening. I f a woman cannot quit drinking, and then cutting back is important.
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